In Another Life
by EvilLydia
Summary: Remnant is unaware of the darkness that looms overhead. Just the slightest change in present can alter the future dramatically. For better or worse, that is yet to be seen.
1. Shiro Branwen

This is a request from Sketchywolf. All of the awesome OCs belong to them and RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth. And I own... nothing.

Chapter 1 - Shiro Branwen

Shiro was in a bit of trouble. While he was sitting alone in an interrogation room he thought back to what led him to this.

He _had _been on his way to Patch to visit his Uncle Taiyang. He had heard that Yang got accepted to Beacon academy. _The_ Beacon. His father had gone on another mission and he was supposed to be at his neighbor's house but he didn't think his dad would mind if he went to Uncle Taiyang's house instead.

His ship was halfway across Vale when it had a layover and he had a little bit of time to kill. Out of boredom he started to wander around and ended up in a place that he wasn't really supposed to be. But as he was going to leave he heard something a bit disturbing. It sounded like someone in distress.

He wasn't the type to stand by when people were in trouble. He ran toward the sound and found himself in the docking bay. Four crewmen were being held up by a group of White Fang members. He reached for his sword, glad the he had it with him.

He loved his sword because it fit his style so well. He had to admit that he was a little jealous when his dad spent so much time teaching Ruby, she even designed her weapon after his, but he was happy with his own. It was his uncle Taiyang that taught him just because he wasn't just like him didn't mean that his dad would be any less proud of him.

He designed his sword to be able to use it in any situation. It was a long sword with a bright, rectangular red guard and silver pommel for close combat and a revolver for longer range. As he drew his sword he released it to it's full size.

He didn't really think about what he was doing when he jumped out at them. "Hey," he gained their attention, "Leave those guys alone!"

The White Fang member in the front motioned to the others and two on the left side of him ran at him. The others continued loading the stolen dust.

He stepped out of the way as the bigger Faunus brought down at long sword that was meant for his shoulder. He then used that opportunity to elbow him in the stomach. It didn't actually do very much other then hurting his elbow. He didn't know what kind of Faunus he was but he had an incredibly hard chest. When the Faunus swung at him he jumped back, as he did four bullets hit where he had been standing.

Quickly he retracted his sword to fired two of his ice dust bullets into the ground in front of the Faunus. Almost as soon as he did, a wall of ice rose from the ground. He thought he saw the Faunus's arm trapped in the ice.

But he didn't have time to breath yet. He hadn't forgotten about the second Faunus. She was a deer Faunus that had made some distance between them. She had climbed up a stack of creates so that she would had a better view of him. She was obviously a sniper. With the big Faunus stuck for a while he could focus on her. He fired two fire dust bullets, and started to run at her. He dodged her shot and fired another. While she was dodging that, he fired an ice dust bullet at the ground and used the momentum of the rising ice to launch himself at her.

Unfortunately, at this point he no longer had any ammo left. He released his sword again and swung it down at her. She barely had enough time to block this with her gun. But the momentum knocked them both to the ground.

As he was getting up he saw someone coming at him from the corner of his eye. He ducked and swept his leg out trip whoever it was. The White Fang member did start to fall but he still brought his dagger down to strike Shiro. Shiro, however, saw this coming and leaned back enough to be safe.

The White Fang member growled at him, but before he was able to do anything more two mechs grabbed him from either side. Shiro was breathing hard when he started to stand up. There several soldiers marching all around him. Someone he recognized at General Ironwood was commanding the charge.

General Ironwood walked up to him with purpose. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a dark, stiff tone. After he explained the situation he was taken into General Ironwood's custody and left in that room alone for a very long time. Since there was no clock or windows he didn't know what time it was. But he was sure that he missed his flight.

Finally, the door opened. He was sure that he was going to see General Ironwood but it wasn't him. It was Professor Ozpin. He had never met him in person but he was one of the few people that his dad really admired.

He walked up to him slowly, with his hands behind his back, "This is an interesting development." He tapped a few things on his holopad. "I hadn't expected this situation..." he seemed rather distracted.

Shiro looked at quizzically, "What situation are you talking about, Mr. Ozpin?"

Ozpin looked back at him like he had just realized what he had said, and then smiled at him gently, "I'm sure that you'll find out soon enough. Anyway, I'm curious. You seem to know exactly who I am. How much have you been told about me?"

Shiro thought about the question for a moment. "My dad hasn't told me a lot about you. You are the headmaster of Beacon Academy. You also in charge of the safely surrounding Vale. He told me that you are one of the wisest people on Remnant." Ozpin's smile held a sort of melancholy sadness to it, however Shiro didn't really know the words to express this.

"I see," Ozpin said, "Are you aware that your cousins are entering my school this year?"

Shiro noticed his slip-up but didn't say anything about it. "Yeah, Yang is going this year. Ruby and I were going to apply at the same time."

Ozpin looked curious, "Are you two close?"

Shiro shrugged, "I guess. We train together with uncle Taiyang a lot. Especially when dad is gone."

They fell into a silence, both absorbed by their own thoughts. Shiro couldn't help but remember his training. It was hard and painful and part of that was enjoyable. To see himself grow stronger was the most rewarding thing in Remnant.

"Why do you want to join Beacon?" Ozpin broke his train of thought.

He was caught off guard by the question, "Ah, I want to be a Hunter." But Ozpin silently waited for him to elaborate. Shiro put his head in his hands and thought about it more carefully, "I don't know. I just can't see myself doing anything else. There's nothing else I've ever wanted to be."

"Well," Ozpin suddenly seemed a lot more cheerful for some reason, "would you like to join her? Beacon is always looking for talented future-Huntsmen."

"Really!?" Shiro's eyes widened, "Do you mean that? That would be amazing. Ha, guess I'll have to write Ruby and tell her all about it."

Ozpin let out a little chuckle," Yes, I really mean that."

xxxxx

Glynda was patiently waiting for Ozpin on the rented ship. He said that he had some business with James. Even though she wasn't present for this, he allowed her to listen in on the conversation. She hadn't actually met Qrow's son but he made a better impression then she thought he would. To be honest, she hadn't expected him to be that respectful.

But to have someone so young enter the academy, it was cruel. If she hadn't seen the talent that Ms. Rose displayed she would have rejected that as well. If she had been in charge, neither of them would have been accepted until they were fully eligible. But Ozpin had never led her astray. With his intense wisdom and years of experience, he surely saw something that she had overlooked.

When he boarded, he sat across from her with his usual mysterious air. "Why did you do that?" she asked as she started to take off.

It wasn't until they were in the air that he spoke, "Shiro has a talent that is important."

She frowned, "That isn't enough to bend the rules like that. I suppose I could accept Ms. Rose because of her potential but Mr. Branwen is a completely different story."

His smile didn't fade, "I agree, that alone wouldn't be enough."

"Just because he's Qrow's-"

"That is not the reason." He cut her off. He paused for a moment before continuing, "Do you think that Hunters could be replaced by machines? It would be safer, would it not?"

She sighed, "Of course not."

"Why?"

"Because," she thought about the right words, "fighting the Grim requires more than what a machine could do."

"It requires a personality," he continued, "If the Hunter fighting feels alone and in despair then they wouldn't be effective. If I thought that Shiro wouldn't be able to hand this situation then I wouldn't have made the offer. But, as it stands, I think that they need each other."

She frowned even harder but said nothing; there was nothing to say. She didn't understand his decision but it wasn't the first time she confused her.

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To say that he was nervous boarding the ship to Beacon was an understatement. He felt like every eye was on him. After a while of wondering around the ship he spotted a pair of familiar faces. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"-a normal girl with normal knees." Ruby said.

"What's with you," Yang countered, "Aren't you you excited!?"

Ruby looked down, "Of course I'm excited. I just- I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."

"At least your not alone." Shiro walked up to them.

"Shiro?" Yang looked at him with surprise.

"Yep, I got to come as well." he smiled shyly. "I didn't know you were going to be here, Ruby."

"Yeah, me either."

Yang put her arms around each of them, "I'm so proud of you both."

As this was happening there was a news report about a criminal who escaped authorities. Shiro felt like he had heard that name before but he couldn't really remember. But the TV was turned off in the middle of the report of the Faunus protest that followed. A hologram of a strict looking lady appeared before them. "Hello and welcome to Beacon."

"Who's that?" Yang asked.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh."

"You are among a privileged few who had received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task. And now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." And with that she disappeared.

Ruby, Yang and Shiro went over to the window. "Look," Ruby looked to the left, "You can see Signal from up here."

Shiro smiled at her and Yang patted her on her shoulder, "Guess home isn't to far after all. Beacon's our home now." He smiled at the thought.

Over to their right was some guy getting sick. He decided right away that he should probably steer clear of him. But, it was too late. He was heading right toward them.


	2. Welcome to Beacon

Chapter 2 - Welcome to Beacon

When the ship touched down Weiss looked up at her new home, her new opportunity for freedom. As she was doing so someone bumped into her. "Ah sorry," the girl called as she started racing off to catch something that looked like he might be her brother.

Weiss scowled at her but went on. She needed to get her luggage to the dorms before the assembly started.

As she started heading in what she was sure was the right direction she noticed someone odd. He was a white haired boy about her age but it was his sword that really caught her attention. It looked like a modified version of the weapons designed by her family.

Pressing her lips together, she thought it would be best to just turn away. More than likely, he was just an admirer or her family and speaking to him would only annoy her further.

She had to admire the beauty of the school. Not quite as graceful as what you would find in Atlas but a strong sort of structure all the same.

But, while she was looking at the buildings, something, or rather someone, knocked all her luggage to the ground. "What are you doing!?" she yelled at her.

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Willow thought that she saw something disturbing while on the ship, her brother. She bit her lip and tried to follow him but ended up losing him in the crowds.

With a sigh, he decided that she might have been wrong and she should just find her way around campus. Upon hearing an explosion she decided that it might be worth checking out.

When she did, she found the person that she was looking for. He was talking to a little girl in red. They seemed to be getting along, showing off their weapons. She waited until they were finished talking. Unfortunately they were heading the wrong way.

Eventually they found their way to the ceremony. As soon as the girl saw her friend, she took off in that direction, leaving Jaune on his own.

"Hey wait," he said to no one, "Great, where am I going to find a nice, quirky girl to talk to?" As he stalked off to find him place in the crowd Willow tailed him closely. She thought that it might be fun to sneak up on him.

She found it odd, or maybe disappointing was a better word, that he didn't seem to notice her at all. Although he wasn't always the sharpest tool in the shed, she thought he might have noticed something. If he were anyone else, she would have thought that he was purposefully pretending not to see her so that _he_ could get the drop on her. But she didn't think Jaune was capable of that.

She was waiting until the assembly was over to speak to her. She had thought that Professor Ozpin's speech would be more... uplifting then it was. While he wasn't exactly discouraging, it didn't do anything to raise her spirits.

After Professor Goodwitch told them about their sleeping arrangements, she decided that it was the right time. She cornered him as he left the building. "Jaune," her voice didn't carry it's normal optimism.

"Yes~" he turned swiftly. But his face fell when he saw hers, it was like looking into a mirror. Even their hair was a similar length. "Look Willow, I can explain."

She crossed her arms, "Then go on."

"You see," he was fidgeting and rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "um, I actually got some extra credit. Yeah! Just enough to pass. That's the reason I wasn't in the graduation ceremony with you."

She rolled her eyes, "I've known you my whole life, don't you think I'd know when you're lying?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Jaune defended loudly as someone passed by them. She didn't think he noticed, or cared about, what they were talking about.

"Jaune," she said, a lot more gently this time, "go home." It killed her to see his hurt look, "I just don't want to see you hurt. If you didn't pass before, it means that you're not ready to be here. Put grandpa's sword away."

"You know what," he was starting to get angry, "I'm here, right? Why do you think they haven't kicked my out? Why don't you mind your own business?"

She hung her head as he walked away. She really didn't know why he was still here. Maybe he really did make up extra crediy, _a lot_ of extra credit.

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That night, in the ballroom, Olivia Iris was looking for a really well lit place so that she could do a little drawing before she went to sleep. All the good spots were against the walls. Unfortunately, most of the good spots were taken.

With a sigh she was about to give in and settle for what she could get when she noticed a girl with a lot of space near her. This was a good opportunity to make a new friend.

"Hi," she smiled at her.

The skinny, small fox Faunus looked up from her book, "Hello," she said flatly before returning at her book. Her pajamas looked like they were from Mistral or something and the black and green stood out against her white hair.

"Um, can I join you?" Olivia asked.

"What?"

"You have a really well lit spot and I want to draw." she explained.

The girl looked around for a moment. "I guess, I just want to read."

"Sure," as so she sat down and started to draw.

After a while there was a loud argument on the other side of the ballroom that broke her concentration. "So, I'm Olivia Iris. What's your name?"

The girl gave her a really annoyed look and remained silent for a moment. With a heavy sigh she said, "Fine, I'm Naomi. Can I please read this book?"

"Well," Olivia ignored that last part, "I hope that we'll see each other again. It's been really fun."

"Yeah, _hopefully,_" she said sarcastically.


	3. The First Step

Chapter 3 - The First Step

Shiro put his things in the his locker as he got ready for his first challenge. This was the most excited he had been since he had started the school. As he shut his locker door, a quiet fox faunus passed him. He thought that he had seen her before but she just didn't really stand out to him. "Hey," he waved slightly. She nodded at him as he passed but didn't any anything.

With a sigh, he moved on. He didn't really know anyone here and he wasn't as good at making friends as Yang. For a moment he had the hope that he could be on a team with Ruby but she was obviously going to team up with Yang. That left him the odd man out. And his futile attempts at making friends weren't going so well.

They were instructed to meet on a cliff side. There they were met by Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. There were several metal squares with the school's logo facing the forest below. He came to the same as everyone else, to stand on them. "For years you have trained to become warriors," Professor Ozpin started, "Today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Shiro couldn't help bouncing on the balls of his feet as he listened. This was getting so exciting.

"Now," Professor Goodwitch continued for him, "I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammate today." she emphasized the last word.

"These teammate will be with you for the rest of your time at Beacon." Professor Ozpin pick up where she left off, "so it is in your best interest to pair with someone of whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Shiro looked confused, he just contradicted himself. "After you've partnered up make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die." He gave them a second to take that in. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item as well as your standing and we will grade you appropriately. Is there any questions?"

"Yeah, um sir-" Said the boy next to Ruby.

"Good," Professor Ozpin cut him off. "Take your positions." Shiro lowered his body to brace himself and give himself a better center of gravity.

"Um, sir," said the same boy as before. He seemed a lot more nervous now. "I've got a-a question." he raised his hand slightly. One by one the platforms launched, "So this landing-" But Shiro didn't hear the rest as he was soaring through the air.

As he was launched from the platform, he held his limbs close to his body to decrease air resistance. He wondered if this was what it felt like to fly. He supposed that this was as close as he was going to get to flying.

When he started to descend he spread his arms to slow himself a little. He saw the tree branch coming at him quickly and reached out his arms to grab onto it. But a smaller twig stuck him in the face. He screwed his eyes shut. He was, however, able to feel the branch and use it to swing to the next branch down. "Should've used my aura," he mumbled to himself. It felt like there was a cut on the middle of his forehead.

Climbing down, he tried to think of a plan. He didn't really know anyone. He did meet that one guy last night but he didn't see him this morning. He sighed as he reached the ground. The best, and only, plan he could come up with trying to find the relic by himself and hoping he found finds someone along the way. It wasn't the best plan, he knew that, but it wasn't like he had a lot of choices.

He couldn't stop himself from imagining what would happen if he didn't find a partner at all. Would his team be short a man _because_ of him? Or would they let him on a team at all?

"Jaune!" he heard a girl's voice. Her voice was getting closer so he started walking in her direction. "What if he couldn't land?!" she sounded panicked.

She nearly ran into him as she walked quickly around the tree. A short-haired blond woman in light armor looked at him with a shocked expression. But it only lasted half a second. She turned away and covered her eyes. "No no no no," she yelled.

"Wait, what's the matter?" he took a step toward her.

"I needed to be on the same team as Jaune." she gave him a defeated look.

"Uh, OK," Shiro took a step away. He figured that Jaune was probably her boyfriend that she had come to school with. "Um, since we're on teams of four, we can look for him together. That way you guys can be on the same team."

She smiled warmly, "You're really sweet." He blushed a bit. "My name is Willow," she stuck out her hand.

Shiro took it, "Shiro Branwen," He couldn't help up notice how firm her grip was.

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Meanwhile, Naomi didn't even need her semblance for the Grimm in this area. Mostly it was Beowolves and other little things. She supposed that made sense, this was just the introductory area.

She was _not _looking forward to being on a team. Hopefully she could snag someone quiet, who will stay out of the way.

As she walked, her thoughts drifted to the book she was in the middle of. The Hunter's love interest had betrayed him for the villain and he had set out on a journey through the wilderness. Something was going to be revealed when she had to stop to come and do this.

She sighed with discontent as she continued forward. Since there was a lull in Grimm, she took the opportunity to reload her crossbow. It wasn't a melee weapon so she really would have to use her semblance if it ran out of ammo. And that would just be a waste of energy.

Just as she finished reloading someone was running past her. A red-headed boy with a mace caught her eye. They stopped and looked at each other. He smirked, "You wish, Fox-Face. I've got a partner."

She rolled her eyes and started to walk away as another set of footsteps approached. "Thank God," she mumbled.

The forest was rather peaceful. The Grimm weren't too strong and the temperature was nice, with just enough wind to move the air without blowing her hair in her face. It would've been great if it stayed like that but some idiot was screaming with joy. The annoying sound got closer quickly as a girl came crashing down in front of her, riding a large Boarbatusk.

"Hey," she smiled, as she dusted herself off, "I knew we'd see each other again."

It took Naomi a moment to realize where they'd met before. This was the girl that _insisted _on sitting with her and talking last night. "Oh joy," she said flatly.

"So, Naomi," the girl started, she had forgotten her name, "do you have a partner yet?"

Naomi sighed, "I guess I do now."

"That's great," the girl smiled broadly, clearly she was having a lot more fun with this. "Together, we're gonna kick all the butt!"

"Great," Naomi gave in. This was happening now and there was no stopping it.


	4. The Teams

Chapter 4 - The Teams

Olivia naturally took the lead and started directing them. She decided that, although Naomi was quiet, almost _too _quiet, she was going to make a pretty decent partner. Every time they encountered Grim, the two of them worked pretty well together.

Olivia thought that she was actually very good at working on a team. Not only was it something that her father stressed but it was also one of the main reasons that she got as far as she did in the Mistral regional tournaments. Obviously, Naomi didn't value teamwork the same way, but that was fine. She was skilled enough to work around her.

As they were walking, Naomi stopped suddenly. Olivia reached for her weapon. "What is it?" she hadn't heard anything.

Naomi nodded in the direction that she was facing, "The temple."

Olivia ran over too see for herself. "Oh my gosh!" She clapped her hands together, "I can't believe we found it already!" They quickly made their way down to the decaying remains of the building.

On each of the pedestal was a chess piece. "Are these the relics?" Naomi said under her breath. "Do you think you're clever?"

"Some are gone. We weren't the first ones here." Olivia pointed out. "Hey, let's take the black tower."

"... do you mean the rook?" Naomi asked.

Olivia shrugged, "Tomato tomauto."

Naomi pinched the bridge of her nose, "I've never heard anyone say tomauto."

xxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, Shiro and Willow were looking for Jaune with no luck. As they had been walking she had told him that they were twins, although she was very worried about his safety. "Maybe we should just head for the temple." Willow suggested. He didn't want to admit it but he didn't think that they were going to find this guy like this.

Little did they know, they were actually pretty close to the temple but, because they didn't know where they were going, they started walking in the wrong way. They had walked quite a ways when they heard some commotion behind them. A girl's scream was followed a few minutes later by a Nevermore flying overhead.

Almost on instinct, Shiro began running in that direction to provide whatever help he could. But Willow caught his arm, "Shiro," she said in a calm but stern manner, "They are here to test their battle skills. They're not looking to be saved."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, annoyed that he had been stopped, "Then why have we spent the last hour looking for Jaune? Isn't he here to prove himself as well?"

She brushed and looked away, "That... it's different with him, OK?"

"Then what if it was him?" he challenged her. As they stared each other down, he did feel a little out of line saying that but he felt like every second he stood here was a moment he could be there, doing something to help. "Look, why don't we just make sure everyone's alright?"

As she started to nod in agreement a shadow passed overhead. Without thinking about it, he dashed forward and pushed her out of the way as a spiny leg was planted in the ground where Willow had just been. When Shiro saw the Grim's form as it walked closer, he thought that it looked like if a spider had the branches of a dead tree.

"The abdomen is probably the softest part." he said a she readied his blade.

"Alright," Willow stated. Shiro noted that, although her voice and body language was tight with caution, there was no visible fear.

He nodded at her and, luckily, she understood. As he rushed to the left, she ran to the right. When they got to the backside she blocked the legs as he plunged his sword into where the lower body met the upper body. While it tried to pull away from the pain Willow struck it's face, bursting three of it's eyes.

"I'm stuck," Shiro yelled, trying to pull his sword free as it thrashed. The exoskeleton's armored plates had clenched together, catching his sword. He had been lucky enough to strike it right in between these plates. He put his legs on the body and pulled, practically hanging upside down.

"Hang on!" Willow yelled. But instinct told him to do the opposite. He let go and rolled to the side just as the Grim slammed into the ground. "Shiro!" Willow cried. He couldn't see her over the body so he presumed that she couldn't see him either.

That impact was enough to drive the sword deep enough into the body to kill it. As the body dissipated they were once again facing each other. Her face went from devastated to relieved in a second. He wasn't ready for the hug that she wrapped him in, almost knocking them both down.

"I'm OK," he said into her shoulder. As they were hugging they could hear the sound of a loud crash. In the distance they could barely make out the great bridge that once led to Beacon crashing. A Nevermore, Shiro was sure it was the same one as before, was circling around.

They looked at each other at the same time, "I think we went the wrong way." she said flatly.

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As Willow walked up the steps to the platform, she couldn't help looking at her brother in the eyes. Jaune didn't seem to want to keep eye contact though. She felt a little bad for not believing in him, but she also felt like she had a really good reason to be concerned.

"Shiro Branwen, Naomi Fiona, Olivia Iris and Willow Arc. The four of you retrieved the black rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team SNOW, lead by Shiro Branwen." The headmaster announced to them.

As they people around them cheered, Shiro couldn't help but hold his breath for a moment. He couldn't believe that _he _was the leader. "Good job," Willow whispered as they walked off the stage. They smiled at each other for a moment but as her brother was called to the stage all of her attention was on him. And when he was told that he was going to be the leader, no one cheered louder then her.

"Why didn't they choose Pyrrha?" Olivia whispered, "she already has tons of experience."

When it was Ruby and Yang's turn to be assigned a team name Shiro focused on them. He was a little jealous that they got on the same team, he sort of wanted to be teamed with them. Ruby being the leader was almost more surprising then him becoming the leader. He was sure that if it wasn't one of the other members it would be Yang. But he was happy for her all the same.

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an.. interesting year." Professor Ozpin mused aloud.


	5. Time for Class

Chapter 5 - Time for Class

Once the teams were announced and the dorms were assigned everyone had a chance to catch up for a bit. Naomi left the moment she knew what room they were staying in. Willow watched as Shiro was practically squeezed to death by that Yang girl, or whatever her name was. Since Jaune was busy with his team she started talking to Olivia, but she was only half listening. The moment she had a chance, she said, "Excuse me," Olivia huffed but turned to speak with someone else.

"Jaune," she touched his shoulder.

"Hey," he looked nervously from his teammates to her.

"We'll be waiting in the dorm," Pyrrha said.

"See ya," Nora waved before leading the group.

There was a moment of silence between them. "Uh," he scratched the back of his neck, "pretty crazy, huh?"

Willow hung her head, "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"What?!" he nearly jumped.

"I should have had more faith in you," she explained. "Shiro was right. I was worried for you when I should have focused more on my own team, you could do it on your own. I was worried but I see that you really do belong here. I'm sorry."

Jaune bit his lip. "Don't." He wasn't looking her in the eyes. "I- I_ wasn't _able to do it on my own. I had to have a lot of help."

She placed both hands on his shoulders, "Everyone needs help every now and then. It doesn't mean anything."

"No!" he pulled away from her, "It's just that you were always so cool and I thought that I could do this on my own. I wanted to, no I needed to prove that I could."

"You know that I love you. You don't need to prove anything to me."

"It's not for you." he turned his back to her, "I needed to prove it to myself."

"Jaune," but even as she was reaching out to him he was walking away.

When she sulked back to the room she found Naomi reading on one of the beds. Everyone's things were piled up by the door. Apparently Naomi had taken her time alone to put away her things. Willow decided that she should do the same. It was obvious that Naomi didn't want to be disturbed right now. Her sister Jane was really similar.

Even though she had taken her time the others still hadn't come back. A couple of time she tried to start a conversation Naomi but she only wanted to answer in one or two words. She laid back on her bed and closed her eyes. Perhaps she should write home about all of this. But she thought that she could wait for a bit, she would let Jaune tell them the good news first.

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Naomi blinked awake to a lot more noise then she would have liked. She sighed, remembering that she had to share this room with several others. Olivia was ordering the others around. Their leader, Shiro, and Olivia herself busied themselves with the unpacking that they didn't do yesterday and decorating.

Rather then joining them, she decided to get ready for the day. Olivia was reading off the schedule that _she_ had prepared. However, Naomi really had no interest in things like that. As long as she could get by this school year without too much trouble she was perfectly content to follow her own schedule. Of course she was going to work with them as much was needed but that didn't mean that she was going to get ordered around.

As she exited the bathroom Willow held out her books, "Come on, if we don't hurry we're going to be late."

"Ugh," Olivia said, "we should have left 10 minutes ago. What was taking you guys so long?" She ushered everyone out the door.

"Well," Shiro said, shutting the door behind him, "I didn't really want to be waiting outside the classroom door that long before class."

"Better than being tarty on our first day." Olivia retorted as they turned the corner.

Naomi crossed her arms, "If you were _so_ concerned why didn't you just go on ahead?"

Olivia narrowed her eyes, "_Because,_ we are a team. We have to stick together."

"Whatever," Naomi rolled her eyes.

xxxxxxxxxx

Professor Port's lesson was rather dull but Shiro was doing his best to pay attention. From where he was sitting he could see Ruby's drawing and, as funny as it was, he turned away to try to focus.

Olivia was right. They were a team, his team. That meant that the responsibility for their success fell to him. While he wasn't entirely sure what that entailed he figured that the first step was getting good grades.

Maybe Naomi could help him study later, she's always reading so she's probably really smart. But she also doesn't really like talking to him. Willow might be good to study with. She's really nice but he didn't know if she was very good in school yet. Olivia was a natural at organizing things but she didn't really seem like the type to want to sit down and read. While he was thinking about this, he realized that he really didn't know all that much about his team yet. That was one thing that he was going to have to fix.

As he had been concentrating he missed a big part of the lecture. "-e the embodiments of these traits?"

"I do, sir." Weiss raised her hand. Shiro looked around, hoping to find a little context.

"Well then, let's find out." Professor Port said, as there was a rumbling to his right. "Step forward and face your opponent."

Shiro's eyes widened in excitement. This was the sister of Winter from the Altas army, she was sure to be a really good fighter.


	6. Lessons Learned

Chapter 6 - Lessons Learned

Naomi waited with baited breath. Now she would see what a Schnee could do. Weiss, the sister of the famed Winter, had stepped up to center stage. She narrowed her eyes unconsciously, 'Show me what you're capable of!' She thought.

As the Grim rumbled in its cage Weiss took a stance. Naomi noted her form. In the front row, her team cheered her on. However, she snapped at her captain for distracting her.

"Alright," said Professor Port, raising his axe-gun, "let the match begin." He brought the blade down and broke the lock, revealing a Boarbatusk, a boar-type Grimm. It rushed at her and she swiftly dodged it. Naomi wondered if she would be so skilled facing a Grimm on the battlefield.

"Haha!" Professor Port interjected, "wasn't expecting that, were you?" Weiss glanced at him.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Ruby yelled.

Ignoring her, Weiss used her Glyphs to glide toward it with her rapier aimed at its face. But the beast blocked with it's tusks and flipped her over. She managed to land on her feet but her weapon was caught. "Bold new approach. I like it!"

Naomi was sure that she wasn't the only person that was tired of his commentary. "Come on Weiss, show it who's boss." Ruby encouraged her. Naomi highly doubted that _she_ was going to be showing anyone 'who's boss'. The Boarbatusk disarmed her and knocked her to the ground.

"Oho, now what will you do without your weapon?" Professor Port asked. Weiss jumped out of the way just as the Boarbatusk charged at her, surly intent on trampling her. She then raced for her dropped sword.

"Weiss," Ruby called again. "Go for its belly. There's no armor underneath."

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss yelled back.

While Naomi could understand her frustration, it was still good advice. This girl seemed to have a decent amount of knowledge on Grimm.

The Boarbatusk began to roll at her quickly. Weiss used her Glyphs to stop it and once she knocked it on it's back she pierced it. "Bravo, bravo," Professor Port congratulated her. It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training."

'Maybe' Naomi thought, 'but she still needs a _lot _of actual experience to get the hang of things.'

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As the class was released Willow noticed that Shiro was upset with something. He was walking fast onto the grounds with his hands clenched by his sides. Figuring that he wanted to be the one to fight the Grimm, she ran up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

When he whipped around she could see the anger painted plainly on his face. "What's going on?" she asked. Clearly this wasn't about not being picked for the exercise.

"It's not fair," he said through gritted teeth.

Willow grabbed his arm and made him look at her, "Shiro, tell me what's going on."

He sighed and looked away for a moment, "Ruby didn't do anything wrong but Weiss was being so mean to her."

Willow nodded, "That's true. But, you know, maybe they'll work things out on their own. They have to spend time getting to know each other. I know it seems a little harsh right now but maybe they just need some time."

"I guess," the look of anger melted into melancholy. She couldn't really tell if he believed her or not but at least he didn't really look angry anymore.

xxxxxx

After her last class Olivia went to the roof. She couldn't say she wasn't impressed with the end of the lesson. She wanted to say that she could have done just as good. She wanted to test herself against Weiss Schnee someday.

Over of the neighboring building she could see Professor Port talking to Weiss Schnee herself. It looked like she was getting a bit mad. She watched them talk, thinking to herself that it would be interesting to be able to read lips. For a moment she thought that she might try to learn but soon realized that she wasn't going to do that.

Weiss left several minutes before Professor Port. She was certain that at no point did he notice that she was there.

She glanced at her phone, the thought of calling her father crossed her mind. She hadn't spoken to him for a while, since before she even applied to Beacon. She wasn't certain that she wanted to deal with that right now. There was too much tension that she left behind.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind." someone said from behind her.

She whipped around to find Professor Ozpin. "Hello Professor," she put on a big fake smile. "I'm fine. What brings you out here?"

He walked up next to her and looked out to the horizon, "Is that so? Well, I thought it was a good time to take a walk." For a moment they took in silence. She was feeling a little awkward and was about to leave she he spoke again, "I was a little surprised that you didn't go to Atlas Academy. May I ask what made you decide to come to my school."

"Beacon has such a good reputation. Besides, coming here is a great way to experience other cultures." she said immediately.

"Hm," he glanced at her for a moment, "you didn't have to think too hard about that, did you?" He leaned against the railing, "I wonder if that's everything."

"What? Of course it is." she defended.

"Alright," he nodded, "I suppose if you say so." He said as he started to walked away leaving her to think about what he said. Of course there was more, it just wasn't something that she wanted to talk to him about.


End file.
